Greenock have landed a run machine ahead of their WDCU campaign in the form of Indian star Rahul Dalal.

Dalal is a high-class batter who hit headlines during the 2019/20 by churning out 1,340 runs at 95.71 for Arunachal Pradesh in Ranji Trophy cricket.

In his maiden season for Arunachal, following his move from Haryana, the wicket-keeper batter was the talk of the Ranji Trophy, courtesy of his run spree.

The run machine struck 81 on his Ranji debut for Arunachal (v Chandigarh), before striking a quite-sensational 383 runs against Mizoram, hitting scores of 178 and 205* in his two innings.

Dalal backed up with scores of 53 and 84 (v Manipur) and 25 (v Sikkim), before another double hundred (267*) against Nagaland. Further half-centuries against Puducherry (51) and Goa (68) preceded yet another big century – 190 against Bihar.

He concluded the season with 1,340 runs – only 75 runs shy of VVS Laxman’s record for the most Ranji Trophy runs in a season (1,415).

Dalal’s success during last summer’s Ranji Trophy followed an incredible debut Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A) campaign for his new State in 2019. He racked up 6 half-centuries amongst 515 runs at 85.83.

He has enjoyed outstanding success for Arunachal Pradesh since his move from Haryana, with whom he made his debut during the 2012/13 season (350 runs at 35).

However, after a few lean seasons, with limited game time, Dalal decided to move States in pursuit of regular first-class cricket. The rest, they say, is history.

Looking to capitalise on his purple patch, Dalal ventured to the UK in 2021 to try his luck in league cricket. He excelled, hitting 557 runs at 61.89, alongside a few wickets to evidence his all round skills. Dalal was snapped up for a UK return the following summer where the run-scoring trend continued hitting 893 runs at 44.65 for Marton in the strong North Yorkshire and South Durham Premier League.

Having enjoyed huge success over the past few years, both home and abroad, Dalal is is now set on a new challenge having signed with Scottish club Greenock for their 2023 Western District Cricket Union campaign.